Country Star Craig Strickland Has Been Found Dead

Craig Strickland, lead singer of the country band Backroad Anthem, has been found dead after a week of searching, TMZ reports. He and his friend, Chase Morland, went missing on December 27 after going on a hunting trip in Oklahoma.

Morland's last tweet turned out to be eerie foreshadowing: "In case we don't come back, [Craig] and I are going right through Winter Storm Goliath to kill ducks in Oklahoma. #IntoTheStorm." When the two didn't return, a search party was launched the next day. Searchers found Morland's body and their capsized boat, and Strickland's dog, Sam, was found alive.

Authorities haven't officially released a cause of death for either Strickland or Morland yet. Loved ones have launched a fundraiser through GoFundMe to help pay for search expenses; fans have contributed more than $9,000 in just three days. Strickland's wife, Helen, expressed her grief on Twitter and Instagram. "He is safe with his Father in Heaven," she wrote on Twitter.

#CraigStrickland was found today. He is safe with his Father in Heaven. Thank you Lord for leading us to him today. I will praise you, Amen.

On Instagram she continued, "The night of the accident he had fought his way out of the water and up a hill before the stages of hypothermia set in. He experienced no pain in his final moments and simply felt like he was falling asleep. They found him lying in the shape of a cross looking up to his Father.... I love you with all my heart Craig Michael."